When it comes to the regular season, the only name that seemed to keep John Cook in deep thought was Dan Fisher. Despite Nebraska’s scintillating performances, they just couldn’t knock the Pittsburgh Panthers off the top spot in the AVCA rankings. Time and again, the Pittsburgh volleyball squad’s coach seemed to have something up his sleeve to keep his squad at No. 1. Even in the final week of the regular season, the Huskers sat at No. 2, trailing behind the Panthers. And let’s not forget their records at that point—Nebraska flaunted a stellar 28-1 overall and 18-0 in the B1G, while Pitt had a nearly identical 27-1 and 17-1 in the ACC.

Sure, Cook’s team wrapped the season with the Big Ten volleyball title, but when the NCAA bracket dropped, it was Pittsburgh volleyball once again claiming the top overall seed, outshining Nebraska yet again. How does Fisher manage to work his magic time after time? No answers yet, but his achievements might earn him a reward bigger than rankings.

According to Paul Sunderland, Dan Fisher could soon be in the running for the national coaching position for the women’s volleyball team. The 72-year-old commentator, who’s been following the buzz closely, believes Fisher is one of the top contenders for the role—and his chances might skyrocket after December 2.

Lincoln Arneal, the Nebraska volleyball beat writer for Husker Illustrated and co-host of The Volleyball Pod, stirred up quite the buzz on X recently. He shared an intriguing tidbit from ESPN’s 5th Set broadcast, where Paul Sunderland revealed that Pitt coach Dan Fisher is rumored to be one of the frontrunners for the Women’s National Team head coach position. When a curious fan asked, “Would that mean he would leave pitt or is it like 2 jobs?” Lincoln didn’t hold back, replying simply, “Leave Pitt.”

On December 2, ACC rolled out the names, achieving the annual awards. The Panthers had eight names on the list, including the coach. How? First came Olivia Babcock. The sophomore grabbed the Player of the Year award as the second player in the Panthers’ history. She also found a place on the All-ACC first team. Apart from her, Rachel Fairbanks, Torrey Stafford, and Bre Kelley had their places ready in the First Team All-ACC. Still, there had been something for Pittsburgh volleyball. 

This time, the seven starters of the Panthers achieved spots on several all-conference teams. And what about the coach? In the shower of laurels, Dan Fisher clinched the title of Coach of the Year. His pleasure extended watching his squad gain the top overall bracket in the NCAA Volleyball championship for the first time in the program’s history. After finishing three agonizing seasons just inches away from the NCAA trophy, such an achievement tasted sweeter for the Panthers’ camp. But if everything goes well for the Pittsburgh volleyball team, Fisher may grab another assignment on the hot seat of the women’s national volleyball team. Is there anything in his mind before going into the battle? 

The Pittsburgh volleyball team has Dan Fisher, a coach with a championship mindset and an unbeatable attitude!

When Dan Fisher took the reins at Pittsburgh volleyball a decade ago, the team was scraping the bottom. Back then, they had just one win in 45 matchups against top-tier teams—talk about an uphill battle! But Fisher, with his lanky frame and sharp mind, wasn’t one to throw in the towel. Leveraging his experience from coaching stints with the U.S. national team and Concordia University, he worked his magic, transforming the Pittsburgh volleyball program piece by piece.

Scouting talent was a hurdle in the early days, but Fisher’s persistence paid off. In his first season, he steered Pittsburgh volleyball to a respectable 19-14 ACC record—an impressive feat for their conference debut. Then, in classic Fisher fashion, he leveled up. The next season, Pittsburgh volleyball went 25-6, and the momentum hasn’t slowed since. Fast forward to today: the Panthers boast a jaw-dropping 29-1 overall and 19-1 ACC record. Those numbers alone are enough to intimidate any opponent heading into the NCAA championship. But Fisher’s pep talk goes beyond the stats.

He’s already revving up his Pittsburgh volleyball squad, saying, “We need to be in hunter mindset. We’re getting closer to the tournament, — this is the kind of team we need to be able to beat if we want to go deep.” His Panthers will face Morehead State on December 6, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. So, what’s your take? Will Fisher’s Pittsburgh volleyball squad dominate, or could Morehead State pull off an underdog upset? Either way, this matchup promises fireworks.